Pentagram’s Eddie Opara at AIGA DC

When Eddie Opara, an iconic designer, visual strategist and partner at Pentagram, came to speak at AIGA DC, I served as the official event photographer for the night. It took place at the beautiful Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and ticket proceeds benefitted the AIGA DC Design Continuum Fund.

Eddie is a recipient of the AIGA/Worldstudio scholarship that, similar to the AIGA DC Design Continuum Scholarship Fund, supports art and design students by offering them financial assistance. Because of this connection along with his stellar work, he came to showcase his work and inspire DC’s creative community.

And inspired we were, below are some of the gems we took away from the night.

“I don’t create stories for the client; I create systems. And I’m a person that will break my system if I want to.”

“DONT PISS OFF A GRAPHIC DESIGNER!”

“Every client is different. But every client is the same in that they want you to understand who they are.”

“Designers need to put out quality work no matter what the budget is.”

“Travel. See the world. And when the Dutch give you a beer, drink it!”

“What happens when you are given the keys to the car?

You find out how much fuel is in the tank & then you drive it like a Ferrari anyway!”

“Find whatever you’re interested in. Ask a hell of a lot of questions. Just make.”